Equinor and Polenergia secure permits for Bałtyk 2 and 3 offshore wind farms

Equinor and Polish power company Polenergia have received the offshore and onshore construction permits for the Bałtyk 2 and Bałtyk 3 offshore wind projects.

Poland's Pomeranian Voivode has issued a total of 17 permits for the wind farms. The permits will allow for the installation of 100 wind turbines and two offshore power stations in the Baltic Sea, as well as the laying cables and the installation of two onshore stations with infrastructure.

The Bałtyk 2 and Bałtyk 3 offshore wind farms will have a total capacity of 1,440MW and will be able to power over 2 million households.

The power plants will be located in the Polish exclusive economic zone of the Baltic Sea, between 22 to 37km from the coastline.

Commercial operation of the wind farms is expected in 2028. The projects have already obtained environmental decisions, as well as connection agreements, and in 2021 the Energy Regulatory Office awarded each of the projects contracts for difference.

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Jerzy Zan, president of the Management Board of Polenergia SA, commented in a statement: "This is one of the most important days for the projects we are implementing in the Baltic Sea...The set of permits issued by the Pomeranian Voivode opens the way for us to build the Bałtyk 2 and Bałtyk 3 projects. The first preparatory works on land will begin this year, and the first energy from both projects will flow in three years. The implementation of the Bałtyk offshore wind farms is of key importance for Polish energy security. Their commissioning will introduce Polenergia to the narrow group of the largest producers of energy from renewable sources in Central Europe."

Equinor and Polenergia are currently developing the Bałtyk 1 project with a capacity of up to 1,560MW, which will be located 81km from the coast.

Currently, there are no operational offshore wind projects along the Polish coast of the Baltic Sea.

The country has set a target of 5.9GW of installed offshore wind capacity by 2030. The first wave of offshore wind projects is in the late stage of development and pre-construction, with the first projects expected to be operational in 2026.